Oklahoma Lawmaker Says Women Are "Hosts," Men Must Approve Abortion

Hey, female readers and other assorted people who have the potential to become pregnant: did you know you are not actually a human with rights or agency? It's true — according to one Oklahoma lawmaker who wants all men to approve abortions in his state (because he thinks of women as hosts and not actual people — no really).

In an interview posted on The Intercept, Oklahoma State Rep. Justin Humphrey made some truly hideous comments on his beliefs about a woman's right to choose. Essentially: he doesn't believe they have a right to choose. In fact, he seems to believe that women don't have any rights over their bodies at all.

“I believe one of the breakdowns in our society is that we have excluded the man out of all of these types of decisions,” he said (YIKES). But he went on:

“I understand that [women] feel like that is their body ... I feel like it is a separate — what I call them is, is you’re a ‘host.’ And you know when you enter into a relationship you’re going to be that host and so, you know, if you pre-know that then take all precautions and don’t get pregnant ... So that’s where I’m at. I’m like, hey, your body is your body and be responsible with it. But after you’re irresponsible then don’t claim, well, I can just go and do this with another body, when you’re the host and you invited that in," he explained (MEGA-YIKES).

But Humphrey doesn't just have deeply deplorable beliefs, he's also trying to make his absurdly sexist ideas into laws: he recently attempted to pass a bill, HB 1441, that would "require a woman seeking an abortion first to obtain written permission from her sexual partner. It would also require her to provide his name to her doctor and would forestall the procedure if the man wanted the opportunity to challenge paternity." The bill is plainly and undoubtedly unconstitutional; a similar provision was struck down the Supreme Court in 1992.

Unsurprisingly, many are disgusted by Humphrey's beliefs: “I would say it’s certainly a new low for Oklahoma ... This is, to my mind, a fruitless effort to shame and stigmatize women who are seeking abortion care and it is completely and unequivocally unconstitutional,” said Amanda Allen, senior state legislative counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights.

“I say to them, it is immoral and anti-Christian to pass restriction after restriction after restriction and then to do nothing to support women and families in this state,” added Rev. Shannon Speidel, a minister in Enid, Oklahoma. “If you really want to make abortions be gone, then do everything possible to provide birth control, to have comprehensive sex education and, more importantly, to make sure there are programs in place that are going to help women and families.”

For the record, Oklahoma is second only to Louisiana when it comes to restrictions on abortion.

HB 1441 was tabled without discussion earlier this week but will be revisited today — on Valentine's Day.